Preview: Seth Armstrong and Erik Jones at Thinkspace Gallery

Artists Seth Armstrong and Erik Jones share a fresh sense of drama in their new works, which will debut at Thinkspace Gallery this Saturday. Seth Armstrong’s solo exhibition “The Air is Thick”, accompanied by Erik Jones’ “Color/Full”, immediately sets the tone with his cinematic oil paintings. His images of lit up sky rises, mexican wrestlers, cowboys gathered around a campfire, and nudes in a mysterious desert all make theatrical references. Armstrong’s title refers to the air of anticipation or tension he implements into each. It was late director Alfred Hitcock who once said, “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” His spirit can be felt in Armstrong’s narrative, which takes us through those sky rise windows into the private lives of their denizens, as in “Dusk From the 27th Floor”. Zoom in even further, and you’ll discover a woman slipping on her “A Little Black Dress”.

“Portrait 01: Under Me is Gold” by Erik Jones

Erik Jones (HF Vol. 27 cover artist) also captures fractured moments in his new mixed media works which he calls “Dimensional Paintings”. He uniquely combines the depth of realistic portraiture with bright, dripping geometric elements. These abstract components represent the clothing of the wearer, which is shown here spilling out of the picture. In his piece titled “Portrait 01: Under Me is Gold”, this idea is also utilized to unwrap the subject’s identity, previously vague or obscured. By extending the artwork into the viewer’s three dimensional space, Jones takes on a new interest in spatial relationships. Take a look below at images from both artists, courtesy of the gallery.